Between the Thorns

Chapter 34

Carol snuggled deeper into her favorite chair, opening her book to the spot she bookmarked with a folded page corner the previous evening. But before she could even get through the first paragraph, a knock on the door pulled her from the world of metropolitan police detective Alex Cross. She rolled her eyes and sighed, reluctantly pushing herself up out her chair and heading for the door. She paused with her hand on the door, mentally preparing herself for more of Ezekiel's subtle innuendos and gentle pleading for her to return to the Kingdom. With him. The fact that she was physically attracted to him was making it even harder for her to keep turning the man down.

Carol eased the door open, already rehearsing her carefully chosen words in her mind. But it wasn't Ezekiel on her doorstep. She just stood in the doorway for a moment, dumbfounded and completely shocked to see the man that was standing there. Her body moved of its own accord, closing the distance between her and Daryl until her head was resting on his chest and her arms were around his waist. He hugged her back, squeezing her too tight and whacking at her back in his usual awkward way. Carol didn't realize how much she missed him until that moment. She fought back the rush of emotion, stepping back so she could get a better look at him. It was then that she noticed the young girl that was lingering behind Daryl. And down behind them in the yard were two heavily armed men that looked to be in their early twenties.

"You two stay out here and keep watch," Daryl ordered, directing his words to the two men. They both nodded their heads, obviously willing to follow Daryl's directions without question.

"Friends of yours?," Carol asked, lifting her eyebrow with a curious expression on her face. Daryl nodded, putting his arm around the girl and leading her into the house behind Carol.

"It's sort of a long story," Daryl said, gesturing towards the men outside. Carol shifted her gaze towards the girl, more eager for some explanation of who she was than why Daryl was ordering two armed men around. But Daryl was just standing there, letting the girl cling to his side. Carol smiled. She didn't know why she was even surprised by Daryl's total lack of manners.

"Hi," she said, smiling at the girl. "I'm Carol. I'm an old friend of Daryl's. What's your name?"

"Rose," the girl said, hesitantly returning Carol's smile. Carol nodded, taking the opportunity to look the girl over. She looked to be about Carl's age. Or maybe a little younger. Carol would guess thirteen at most. The girl had a slew of faded bruises on her face. And while she wasn't using it at the moment, there was a sling around her neck that looked like it was meant to hold her left arm.

"She's uh… She's Merle's kid," Daryl said, finally explaining the reason for the girl's presence at his side. Carol's eyes widened.

"Merle had a kid?," she asked. Daryl snorted out a tiny laugh and shrugged his shoulders. The news that Merle had a daughter that even he didn't know about came as a bit of a shock to Daryl as well.

Carol took a better look at the girl. Now that she knew who the girl was, Carol could see some trace of familial resemblance in her features. Mostly in the eyes. But she must have got the rest of her looks from her mother. Because she was pretty with fine dainty features. And it made Carol curious about the girl's mother. And the type of woman that would not only sleep with Merle but have a child by him.

"You knew my dad?," Rose asked. Carol nodded, realizing that maybe the girl's mother wasn't as crazy as Carol first thought. Clearly, she was clearly smart enough to keep her daughter away from the man even if she had been stupid enough to sleep with him. And given Carol's choice of husband, she really had no room to judge.

"I did," Carol confirmed. "Would you like to come sit down with me? If you have any questions I'd be happy to try and answer them…" Rose nodded, finally releasing her grip on Daryl as she moved to take a seat on the small sofa near the window. As Daryl moved past her, Carol caught him by the left hand, running her thumb over the ring on his finger. A ring that she was quite sure was not there the last time she saw him.

"You do have a long story," Carol said. She flicked her eyes towards the girl, then back down at the wedding ring on Daryl's hand. "Her mother?," she asked. Daryl nodded, allowing Carol to let go of his hand on her own before he moved away from her and took a seat next to Rose.

There was a bit of an awkward flow to their conversation. It only took Carol a moment to realize that Daryl was watching how much he said in front of the girl. But they managed to catch up as much as his discretion would allow. What troubled her the most was not Daryl's forced marriage, or the obvious attachment he'd clearly developed to the woman despite the strange circumstances, it was the dark look in his eyes when she asked if everyone back home was okay. Carol didn't like that. And there was only one explanation for it. Someone they cared about had died. And she guessed Daryl's reasoning for not telling her who was not due to his niece's presence but his desire to spare her from the pain.

Carol tried her best to answer the girl's questions about her biological father. She tried to focus on Merle's positive traits, of which there were few. And she didn't shy away from embellishing them slightly. After all, it wouldn't hurt the girl to believe that her father died a hero. Or that he was the best hunter and tracker Carol ever saw, a title that actually belonged to Daryl. While they talked, Carol made a rough venison stew. And when it was done, she called the two men in from outside to eat with them. She knew by now that they were part of Negan's army. But seeing them in person gave her a different perspective. In reality, they were not soldiers or killers or the enemy. They were simply two young men, a few years older than Sophia would be if she was still alive, trying to survive in this strange new world they all found themselves unwillingly thrust into. They cleaned up their own bowl and spoons and referred to her respectfully as ma'am during the entire time they were inside her small house. They were scarcely more than children. And Carol found herself remembering very clearly why she left her family behind in Alexandria. And why she couldn't go back to The Kingdom with Ezekiel. She couldn't stand to watch anyone else die.

Still, when Daryl finished scraping every last drop of stew from his bowl and finally looked up at her, she had a hard time denying his request to return to the saviors outpost with him. The rush of feelings was overwhelming. And she had to close her eyes and focus on her breathing to keep from losing her composure and burst into tears. She feared the worst. That if she let Daryl walk away she would never see him again. But she was even more afraid that if she went with him, she would have to watch him die.

"If ya don't like it there, you can leave. It's not a prison," Daryl coaxed. Carol gave him a soft sad smile.

I'm sorry," she said. "I just can't." She was relieved when Daryl simply nodded, accepting her decision without question in his usual way. He rose from his seat, pulling Rose up with him. And before he left, he gave Carol one last hug. She fought back the tears until the door shut behind him.

Outside, Daryl lifted one end of the pole they were using to carry the deer Rose shot back to the outpost. She stayed close to him, her blue eyes constantly scanning for any sign of danger like he taught her. Like he knew she would be, she was a natural in the woods. Rose was already walking more quietly than their other two companions. And they were two hunting lessons ahead of her. She shot a deer. She killed two walkers. It was the best possible turn out for her first day. And Daryl found himself feeling an unfamiliar sensation when he looked at her. He was proud. Not just of her, but of himself. He did a good job teaching her. Something he never prided himself on before.

When they were about ten minutes out from the outpost, one of the young men cleared his throat, casting a nervous glance in Daryl's direction.

"You know we have to report the contact we had with that woman to Gavin," the young man admitted. His relief when Daryl simply nodded was palpable. Not only did both the young men like and respect Daryl, they were nervous about what he might do if he found out they'd been tattling on him.

"I know," Daryl said. Any contact with anyone outside their hunting party had to be reported. Even it was just with saviors from another outpost. Daryl was well aware of the rules. And the consequences of breaking them. "How about we go talk to him together?," Daryl suggested. The young man nodded vigorously, bobbing his head up and down.

"Will you tell Gavin that I shot this deer?," Rose asked, earning her a laugh from the two young men. And Daryl found himself laughing along with them.

"I'll do ya one better," he told her. "When we get back, I'm gonna tell everyone that ya shot this deer. And then I'm gonna let ya have a sip of my beer."

**Doesn't matter if you're only 12. If you shoot a deer you can have a drink. Follow this story for more parenting tips from Daryl.**